Street Art Ireland

Street Art is a powerful way to stop us in our tracks and make us think, if only for a moment. Recently EMIC turned his art to collaborate with Mark Evison to raise funds and shine a light on the good work of Suicide Awareness, Belfast. Mark is raising funds through a sponsored hike. More details on his crowdfunding page here.

The piece is a lovely piece of art on the street and also has a back story….

Tell me about the reason for the piece?

The reason for the Artwork is to give the suicide awareness charity more presence in the area. They wanted to send out a message to the community that they are there for anyone in need.

Tell us about the theme?

The general theme of the piece is to represent the support that the charity offers. However each element of the Artwork has it’s own significance and message. The hands make the shape of wings, which represents freedom. On top of the hands are two figures, a man and a woman, being held aloft by the hands. The words HOPE and LOVE were requested by the charity. Mark and Darren who gave me the project are tattoo enthusiasts so I wanted to incorporate tattoos into the design. The left hand features a line from one of Marks poems which reads ‘A Lifeboat From Despair”, he wrote this after his own experiences with the charity. The right arm has a staircase tattoo, which is representative of the steps taken to recovery.

Finally there is an image of Belfast Lough at dawn, a new day. It features hints of blues and pinks, the colours of the suicide awareness ribbon.

How is the piece linked to the project?

The mural is pretty much a project in itself that Mark Evison envisaged. He has been supported by the charity in the past and as a result he wanted to give something back. Each of us involved were enthusiastic and willing to make it happen by giving our time and creativity to a good cause.

Where can we find it?

The address is 209 Falls road, Belfast. The mural is on the gable end of that building.